This year marks Chan Kamshing’s 38th year at Hang Lung. Known to many as “Master Shing”, the young man that joined the company in the old days has now become a seasoned Senior Maintenance Supervisor as time passed by.
Endowed with unlimited curiosity since his childhood, the little Master Shing often took apart light bulbs and water tanks in the toilets of his home before re-integrating the small parts again. Turning his hobby into his career, Master Shing joined Hang Lung in 1982 mainly responsible for the maintenance of the facilities at Amoy Plaza and the “four elements” of ventilation, fire safety, plumbing and electric power systems in its retail shops. He has held the same post for 38 years, all because of the immense satisfaction that his work gives him.
Looking back all these years, the SARS outbreak of 2003 is the most memorable episode for Master Shing. He recalls that the outbreak rendered the typically bustling Amoy Plaza lifeless. Even more unfortunately, the Service Delivery Department’s office was located downstairs from Block E of Amoy Gardens, ground zero of the outbreak. In the face of the epidemic of the century, Master Shing chose to remain at his post and weather the storm with the residents and retail tenants of Amoy.
He says, “Because the systems of the shopping mall and the housing estate are designed differently, Amoy Plaza was not quarantined. But some people who knew that I worked there still avoided me like the plague. Even after Hong Kong was removed from the WHO list of ‘infected areas’, some couriers were still afraid of entering the perimeter of Amoy Gardens and asked me to accept their deliveries outside the mall.” Although Master Shing did once worry about being infected during those difficult times, the idea of leaving never crossed his mind. He says with determination, “No, I never thought about leaving. If employees like us left, who would take care of the work at hand? Moreover, the several managers of the mall insisted on staying behind. The strong team spirit in the company touched me.”
After the SARS epidemic, Amoy Plaza resumed its normal operations with the collaborative effort of the company, our colleagues, and our tenants. With that experience, Master Shing has developed even more passion for his job. Years later in 2013, Master Shing received the “Hang Lung Emerald Award” for demonstrating the Hang Lung spirit of “Going the Extra Mile”.
In the small hours of May 22, 2013, a torrential rainstorm caused severe flooding in the Ngau Tau Kok area. Master Shing, who had already finished work and gone to bed, immediately returned to his post amid the downpour to handle the emergency brought about by the adverse weather. He recalls Ngau Tau Kok being heavily flooded, bringing vehicle traffic to a complete standstill. Consequently, he had no choice but to wade through thigh-depth water. At 4 a.m., the Hong Kong Observatory issued the second longest Black Rainstorm Warning in history. Master Shing says, “Rainwater inundated the lobbies of numerous blocks, as well as the open-air plaza, of Amoy Gardens within mere minutes. Colleagues immediately sent the elevators up to higher floors to avoid flood damage. We did not even have time to put on rubber boots, and simply took off our leather shoes and rolled up our trousers before proceeding to pile up sandbags and to remove the water that had already poured in to prevent further flooding. Every single one of our colleagues remained dedicated to their duties.” After a night of tireless hard work, the shopping mall and housing estate returned to normal by the morning rush hour, with the impact of the previous night’s deluge on retail tenants and residents minimized. A sense of responsibility drove Master Shing and the team to stay at their posts, unfazed by the difficulties. This professional spirit, which reflects the essence of Hang Lung’s customer-centric value proposition, has been recognized by the homeowners of Amoy Gardens and mall tenants alike.
To this very day, Master Shing is still diligently acquiring knowledge on environmental protection and energy saving in order to further demonstrate his professionalism. In the future, he hopes to lead by example and pass everything that he has learned, including his expertise in maintenance and Hang Lung’s spirit of “Customer Centricity”, to his younger colleagues.
